Health authorities across Pakistan have urged renewed vigilance as World Leprosy Day 2026 draws attention to the ongoing presence of the disease and the need for early diagnosis and public awareness.
Campaign materials released for World Leprosy Day emphasize that leprosy is not eradicated, with more than 200,000 new cases reported globally each year. Pakistan achieved control of the disease in 1996 largely thanks to the decades of work led by Dr Ruth Pfau and the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, which organised nationwide detection and treatment efforts.
Control does not mean elimination, officials warn, and cases continue to surface in parts of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and rural Punjab. Many cases remain unreported because patients fear social exclusion, undermining progress on leprosy Pakistan.
World Health Organization Pakistan identifies stigma as the biggest barrier to ending the disease. Misconceptions that leprosy is highly contagious or inevitably disabling often prevent people from seeking timely care. Medical experts stress that leprosy is one of the least contagious infectious diseases, requiring prolonged close contact with an untreated person to spread, and that it is fully curable.
Treatment is available free through WHO-supported programmes using Multi-Drug Therapy (MDT). A six to twelve month course can completely cure the infection, and early diagnosis almost always prevents disability or long-term complications.
Health professionals caution that delays in treatment, commonly driven by shame or fear, can lead to nerve damage and the physical deformities historically associated with the disease. These outcomes are largely preventable with prompt medical care.
The 2026 campaign calls on communities to prioritise early diagnosis, accurate information and stigma reduction alongside medical treatment. Officials say Pakistan’s success against leprosy can only be secured by sustained vigilance, public education and community-level reporting so that fear and misinformation do not undo decades of progress.
